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Angry Mobs of Fairies! Ghost Light with E.J. Stevens and W*n a book

Today, please help me welcome fellow author E.J. Stevens to Preternatura. E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series and the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. When E.J. isn’t at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing. Her most recent book is Ghost Light, which was released on July 9 by Sacred Oaks Press. Ghost Light is her second book in the Ivy Granger series.

ABOUT GHOST LIGHT: With a vengeful lamia that only she can see on the city streets, reports of specters walking Harborsmouth cemeteries, and an angry mob of faerie clients at her office door, it’s bound to be a long night. Add in an offense against the faerie courts and a few foolish bargains and one thing is clear–Ivy Granger is in some seriously deep trouble. Ivy Granger is back, gathering clues in the darkest shadows of downtown Harborsmouth. With the lives of multiple clients on the line, she’s in a race against time. Ivy finally has a lead to the whereabouts of the one person who can help her control her wisp abilities, but will she put the needs of her clients above her own? If Ivy doesn’t find a solution soon, she could wind up a ghost herself.

And now, let’s hear from E.J….

Origins of Harborsmouth

Harborsmouth can trace its roots to a 1994 mugging in Dublin, Ireland.Though I suppose you could say that seeds of Harborsmouth were planted in my subconscious much earlier, from a lifetime of excursions into Boston, the Dublin incident rent the earth and dropped in a fully grown tree—gnarly, misshapen branches and all.

During a three-month summer break from college, I lived in a tiny flat in Dublin.The place wasn’t very clean and the mini fridge caught fire the day I arrived, but I made the best of it.I was on a grand adventure on the Emerald Isle and I wasn’t going to let spoiled milk or a diet of curry ramen get me down.

I haunted museums, toured the Guinness factory, and became a frequent visitor of the legendary Book of Kells.I wandered the city so often that, even though I was far away from home, I allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security.Foolish, foolish me.

One night while enjoying a brief interlude in the rain, I crossed the Liffy River that bisects the city.I had walked across that stone bridge hundreds of times before, but that night, I wasn’t alone.When I reached the middle of the bridge a shape came out of the darkness.

A man had been hiding in the shadows, ducking low so that his silhouette was masked by the crenellated sides of the bridge.Heart racing, I scanned the bridge, but there were no police patrols or helpful pedestrians in sight.As the man stepped closer, he spat the word “American” like it was a curse and blocked my path.

Miraculously, I explained that I had no money and, after emptying my pockets to prove the point, the man allowed me to continue across the bridge without violence.But I couldn’t shake the image of a monster rising from the shadows, demanding I pay a toll to cross the bridge like a creature from a fairy tale.What if monsters really did walk these city streets?

A later trip to Rome nurtured the idea of monsters inhabiting a modern city.Everywhere I turned, I saw places where the fae or undead might thrive.Exploring the underground crypts and macabre chapels inspired much of the areas of Harborsmouth below street level, including the vampire council chamber.The city of Harborsmouth, created by a moment of fear and danger, continued to grow.

After trips to London and years spent living in Portland, Maine, the physical city of Harborsmouth was complete, and then it began to populate.I mapped the city districts and filled the streets, buildings, sewers, and harbor with monsters best left unseen.Too bad for Ivy Granger, she can see them all.

Thanks, E.J.! Okay, now I totally want to go to Dublin, only without the “we hate Americans” sentiment that’s all too common…everywhere. (Kind of gives one a complex.) Then again, I had my share of scares living in New Orleans….which might be why I set so much of my work there!

Have any of you encountered any similar “monsters” in real life? What was your scariest experience? Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Ghost Light or the first book in this series if you prefer.

40 thoughts on “Angry Mobs of Fairies! Ghost Light with E.J. Stevens and W*n a book”

While on a business trip to Grenoble, France, walking a side street after dinner, a fellow jumped out of a stairwell and yelled, Americans! The rest of his rant was four letter words in French. It was very unexpected and a little scary, but harmless. Your Ivy Granger series sounds interesting. Will check it out. Thanks.

This, thankfully, has been my only negative experience. I found that being polite helped to keep the situation from escalating. In fact, after proving that I had no money, the man recommended a few places I could find a free meal in the city.

…While in Paris with my parents after i was doing voluntariat at a manga convention ( yes crazy to go there from belgium, having to pay hotel etc to do voluntariat…( benevolat)we were going back to the hotel when somone jumped from under a bridge to try to steal the purse of my mother she clinged to it, i screamed and finally he left but i was frightening)

i guess i can understand the “american” idea from what i hear from some people but i don’t approve because i think those who comes have good intention and i would love my bloggers friend to come but i guess belgium is different ( and here ^^ it’s more if you are from paris that you will be looked down but not frightened or insulted or anything)

and suzanne^^ you says “nouvelle orleans” and the american part would be forgotten^^ Like Jean some have long memories and still see that part of teh country as more friendly ( still regret to have lost it too surely)

i’m quite curious about this series but i guess it’s better to start from book 1

Your mother must have been so frightened! Though I am thankful for the darker moments of my life as writing inspiration, I am happy to hear that Belgium is a safe destination. I am very much looking forward to my trip to Brugge/Bruges.

I do recommend reading the Ivy Granger series from the beginning. Each book can be read as a stand alone, however the characters do grow from their experiences as the series progresses. Happy reading! 🙂

oki no belgium is safe and Bruges is a great city ( would have been different if you were a native french speaker but as american you will be more than welcome)

though i would recommend to visit Bruxelles too ^^ it’s fabulous with some really typical streets too ( then you have namur, mons, liege, dinant^^) you really can find all you want ^^ even my city has some specificity ( like the lift for boat ^^ even the chineese come to study it^^)

Scariest moment, eh? Mmmmm I can tell you about a startling but kind of funny one.

Years ago, I was working at a small pet store and I was by myself one night. Earlier in the evening, I had been standing at the back of the store looking at the security feed, which shows the front aisles and counter. I pictured myself in the video sweeping up and seeing a man come in to rob me. I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be weird if I got held up tonight?”

Later, as I was sweeping and getting ready to close, a man dressed in black with his faced covered DID come in and waved a knife at me demanding the till money…and I was standing in the EXACT spot that I had pictured while watching the security feed! I was so shocked by this uncanny foretelling experience that all I could do was turn to him and say “Are you serious?!” He was kinda dumbfounded for a moment, then repeated that he wanted money. I opened the till and turned to him and gestured feebly to a stack of bags and said “Um, would you like a bag for that?” Once again, he stood there silently baffled before muttering “yes.” It only got more awkward when I looked in the cash register and said, “Did you want the change too?” The robber just looked at me like I was crazy before taking the cash and fleeing.

Afterwards I had my little panic attack but kept busting up thinking of how silly the whole experience had been.

I’d love to crack open and dive into this series. I’ve not read the first book though so I’d have to start there. Cheers!

While in college, I worked at a local video store. I was working the closing shift by myself and was robbed at plastic-toy gunpoint (though I didn’t know it was a plastic toy until after the robber had fled and I found a broken-off piece of the toy on the floor). That was definitely NOT a fun experience.

Sounds like a great series! I will have to start with the first one. I have not run into any monsters but my daughter and a friend were studying abroad in Wales and ran into a drunk late one night in Paris. It was a scary situation but ended okay. Luckily I didn’t know about it until much later. 🙂

I have this series on my wishlist! 🙂 I havent had any expierences like that but Ive been in neighborhoods where I’ve gotten hey white girl. Which I totally hate. I dont care what your skin color is, so why should mine bother you? -Amber

My sophomore year of high school, I was on the school soccer team. In May we held a soccer banquet. The night was fun. I loved seeing everyone together as we took goofy pictures to commemorate the year and passed around awards. The banquet was held in a fancy restaurant that we’d rented out for the night in this small little hub of a town center. Really, it wasn’t very populated. In the center there were the typical fronts–a small gym, ice cream shops, a boutique or two. Farther out, there were a plethora of apartments. On the road that my banquet was held, it was almost completely deserted–the area didn’t exactly thrive and by the time we were let out at eleven or so, those that were in business were closed for the night.

For May in Texas, it was freezing. And to be in a dress and heels on top of that? Almost unbearable. As a new driver, I didn’t park close to the restaurant, my mindset being to park in the first spot I could find, thereby avoiding the dreaded parallel parking.

I bid my friends goodnight and started walking down the road. I hunched into the jacket I’d thrown over my dress, goosebumps visible on my skin. A decent distance away from the lights of the banquet and everyone else, a voice spoke to me from the darkness. “You look cold, hun. Want me to escort you to your car?” The words themselves were hardly terrifying, but the voice was so…male. And so obviously more than an offer. I glanced to my right, trying to locate the speaker from the amidst the shadows, but couldn’t make out so much as a silhouette. That’s the part that really sticks with me. I never saw him. If he had not spoken, I would have thought I was completely alone.

He must not have pursued me because in no time I made it to the warm haven of my car and immediately locked all the doors.

The idea of the vulnerability of being watched still freaks me out a bit.

“You look cold, hun. Want me to escort you to your car?” Those words coming from the shadows made me immediately think VAMPIRE, but perhaps that’s just the way my brain is wired. (Though you never did see this mysterious speaker). 😉

The only monster I had in my life was when I was younger, one afternoon we were out swimming and there was this bright blue flash in the trees, the trees were right there, so it wasn’t far. Lighning? Not a cloud in the sky and the flash was man shaped and it tried to say something and then disappeared before I could even think to scream. Of course, everyone laughed at me. But I saw my blue man around several times that summer. Never tried to hurt me or anything, so I just let it go. evamillien at gmail dot com

First of all: I have the book, so no need to add me into the contest. Good luck to the rest of you!

Secondly, I’ve only been to Canada, and that was as a high school student, so thankfully no problems there. Although I was well-liked for my baking prowess and several boys gave me their addresses just so I’d send them cookies for Xmas… O.o

As Kimberly says, those of us with empathic tendencies often sense things others don’t. I’ve been overwhelmed by the negative emotions around me, so I tend to mostly stay home. Most of my weirdness has to do with knowledge I really should not have, things I just “know”. I attribute that to past life knowledge seeping through.

Great post, E.J. Glad you made it home safe all that time ago, so we could enjoy your awesome stories.

My scariest moment was when I was 9 years old my parents and I moved into a new apartment. There was an old Indian ghost couple floating in my closet. We found out later that the apartment complex was built over an old Indian burial ground.

Thanks for this guest post, now I really want to read the book. My bad experience was also in Paris, at the foot of the Sacre Coeur, where I was taking a photograph, and a pickpocket stole my wallet. But I was faster and held him in one hand and my camera in the other. Helpful people on the same tourbus came to my rescue.

My scariest moment was when I was about 20 or so and I was staying at my grandparents house. It was a very old house and their upstairs always creeped me out. My mom had some odd experiences growing up there, so us kids were aware of the things that have happened. One night, I was laying in bed in one of the rooms. I was in there by myself, laying in the dark and trying to shut my brain off so I could fall asleep. Out of nowhere, something slammed their arms down on my legs, very hard and I felt fingers go into my legs. I immediately sat up and moved my legs and sat there in the dark for a minute trying to process what just happened, than jumped up and turned the light on. The room was empty and I ran to ever room in the house, checking to see if someone was playing a joke on me but everyone else was passed out. Never figured out what exactly that was

Oh, I´ve encountered monsters in my life, but they are just people without a moral compass or whose moral compass is broken. And I think that’s scary.Evil people are scarier than ghosts or any other supernatural being we can read about.